The Best Color Schemes For Your New Home

Whether you are designing your first home or styling your forever home, choosing the right paint colors and fixtures can be overwhelming. Whilst it can be fun and exciting for some – especially the naturally creative ones, it can also be seen as a chore and troublesome for many.

With a plethora of options available, it can be difficult to decide on the best colors, especially when you don’t know where to start. Just a simple trip to the hardware store to purchase some paint can also leave you feeling more confused than when you first started. To help here are some specially curated tips to you move past that:  

Plan

Have a goal in mind before heading over to the store and purchasing anything. If you don’t know where to start, you can seek inspiration online. Websites such as Pinterest, Architectural Digest, and Elle Decor can be helpful. 

Use neutrals

Fuchsia pink might be your favorite, but it may not be ideal to have it in the bedroom. It’s best to stick with a neutral palette for rooms that have large surface areas, and are ones that you see every day. If you’re looking to incorporate something more unique, bold shades work best in bathrooms or kitchens as having these in the bedroom might be too heavy for the eye.  

Select a scheme

While it might be tempting to select the nicest colors from swatches, you should look at all of them side by side and the auras the colors exude before committing to anything. Select the wrong swatches, and you could end up with a disastrous final result. To mitigate such issues, websites like Color Hunt and Colors can help check if the swatches you’ve selected go together. 

Compare

Take a look at your swatches by comparing and contrasting them or using a mood board and pinning the different hues to see if they all mesh well together. The best way to have a good look at them is to use indirect sunlight as fluorescent light will give the colors a cool tinge. With this process, you can eliminate shades that don’t go well together.  

Work your way up

If you’re feeling brave, you can opt to have statement shades in small rooms or corners first. If you think it looks good, you can always change the color of the other rooms to your liking. It’s always easier to gradually change neutrals into statement shades than the other way around.  

Select the right finishes

Choosing the right shades may be one, but selecting the right sheen level is another thing. This is important because some finishes are not water-resistant and can be easily damaged and chipped. For instance, matte paint is best for bedrooms while semi-glossy and satin are great for places with humidity and high foot traffic. Some sheens such as glossy finishes are also better utilized for outdoor spaces.  

Choose fixtures too 

Paint colors are not the only thing that can make your home look great. Curtains and fixtures such as shutters and blinds can also add charm and personality to space. Different options are depending on the theme or design of the house. For instance, plantation blinds give the home a resort-like feel while louvers can provide both style and function to patios.

Vertical blinds also work great in studies or offices. It’s best to choose a place that’ll provide you with high-quality blind installation services that you can customize in accordance with your chosen hues.  

Don’t rush

There’s no need for you to fast-track this process or try to finish everything as soon as possible. One wrong move and the end result could look like a DIY project gone bad and you’ll end up spending a fortune calling in painters. Instead, take the time to enjoy the design journey and spend your time comparing and contrasting swatches and finishes.  

The verdict

Designing the look and feel of a residence can be exciting and daunting at the same time. For those who are naturally creative, it can be an enjoyable process. For many, however, it can be seen as bothersome. To manage the workflow and establish control, it helps to have an overall plan in mind. 

Having a mood board is also beneficial for keeping things on track. This will also serve as a way to check if the elements mesh well together. With regards to styling your home, it doesn’t only involve paint, but fixtures as well. Curtains, shutters, and blinds can give your space added function and style.

About The Author: Luke Fitzpatrick is a freelance journalist and has been published in a variety of publications such as Forbes, Tech In Asia and The Next Web. He is also a guest lecturer at the University of Sydney, lecturing in Cross-Cultural Management and the Pre-MBA Program.

Photo by Sidekix Media on Unsplash